What’s the story behind your latest song/album?
The concept of ‘The Sprint to Sleep’ actually comes from a moment a couple of years ago with one of my mates. It was on an evening where a few of us had gone to the cinema to see the new James Bond film. After all the trailers and the movie having a longer run time than we expected, we didn’t get out of the cinemas until close to midnight. This friend of mine is pretty stringent with getting to bed early so this routine was already in grave danger. Upon getting in the car to get home, he proceeded to run multiple sets of red lights and reach stupidly dangerous speeds in the pursuit of getting to bed. From reports of those in the car, he was doing his best James Bond impression on this drive home; all in the name of getting a good night’s sleep. The image stuck with me; the unbelievable irony behind ‘sprinting’ to something so peaceful as sleep. It became pervasive in my life and I began to consistently, and maybe wrongly, see it in the lives of others. Particularly in a city lifestyle, there is often a zeal for franticness. It can devastate our appreciation of connection and blind us to our complete adherence to efficiency.
How has your creative process evolved over the years?
I used to religiously work on my own with projects, believing that solitude would bring out my most honest creative thoughts. The biggest change I’ve made over the years is finding the joy in collaboration. It was there in small moments in previous years but embracing it in the last couple of years, I’ve had some of the most intensely beautiful times of my life. The first one that comes to mind is the filming of our first Official Music Video for my single ‘Parachute’. We filmed the whole clip in 1 day all around the area where I grew up in the Hunter Valley and working with the actors and camera crew (most of which were people I had known since I was a kid) to create this mini-movie was a day I’ll always remember.
Is there a specific moment in your career that felt like a turning point?
The writing, producing and releasing process was hugely enjoyable but it all felt real on the night of our first live show at the Botany View Hotel in Sydney. That night was one I felt like had been coming for years and years and was an evening I felt the rarest sense of connection to those present. Being in front of people for the first time to perform songs that I wrote and created mostly in the quiet of my bedroom was undoubtedly a turning point for my life in music.
What’s one misconception people have about being a musician?
This is a misconception I had myself until recently but the proportion of time spent actually writing and playing music is much lower than people realise. I’ve found in the past 12 months since releasing my debut single ‘Parachute’ that much more of my time than I expected is spent organising and planning, rather than creating and performing. I’m hoping to reverse that proportion that in the next 12 months as those quiet moments of creativity are what brings me more joy and purpose than just about anything.
Who or what has been inspiring your music lately?
I always have my soft spots on in the background like The Paper Kites, The Japanese House and The 1975. Someone whose music I’ve connected with a lot recently is Henry Jamison. He is Indie Folk at its best. He clearly cares about his lyrics and his tracks take unexpected turns. His new album ‘Big Flower Light Go Boom’ is a special collection of tunes and will definitely be in my top albums of 2026.
Can you share a memorable or unexpected moment from a live performance?
I’d had the thought cross my mind over the years of what it would feel like to have lyrics that you’d written to be sung back at you by an audience. We performed our most recent show in Maitland, the town where I grew up, and in the last song of the set I had my first taste of that experience which both unexpected and unbelievably warming.
How do you handle creative blocks or self-doubt?
Change is an instigator for creativity. When writer’s block comes, I know I need to change something about my creative process; the location I’m in, the instrument I’m playing, the type of material I’m using to get my thoughts down. Even changing contextual factors such as spending time with different people or going to a place I haven’t been before can trigger a mental process my mind thought to go to.
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
I think because I’ve watched his sound develop over 20 years from a purely acoustic, almost sad lover boy, to a producer of creative and complex soundscapes, it would have to be Justin Vernon a.k.a Bon Iver. I’d also love to spend some time with him because, in the most complimentary way, he seems like just a normal guy. He is a musical mastermind but also appears approachable and humble from what I’ve seen in his speaking manner and the way he details his thought processes in interviews.
What’s a piece of advice you wish you had received earlier in your career?
It’s a piece of advice most kids are taught but the ‘keep it simple’ principle seems to become more and more relevant to me. So often I’ll convince myself that complexity is the answer to making ‘good’ music but the evidence continues to pile up against me. The greatest musical moments are often made from a chord progression or a rhythm that a beginner musician could play. The execution of a beautifully-constructed, but simple melody is what powers much of our connection to music.
What’s next for you—any exciting projects or goals on the horizon?
I’m really looking forward to the release of the Live Music Video for ‘Call’ and the Official Music Video for ‘Collateral’, both of which will be out before the end of June.
The creation of a full-length album continues to tantalisingly sit in the back of my mind. After the release of ‘The Sprint to Sleep’ and our album launch in Sydney, I want to take the next 6-12 months to completely indulge in writing and producing. We will see what comes out of this process; part of me loves the uncertainty of it. Hopefully it’s a collection of tracks I will release as my debut full-length album in 2027..